Atmospheric H2S was measured by a fluorometric method (sensitivity 10 ng). In France, for aerated soils the emissions were between 0.8 and 27 μg m-2 h-1 H2S (average 5 μg m-2 h-1). The soil temperature is an important factor governing this emission. The H2S concentrations in the air ranged from 0.017 to 0.17 μg m-3 (average 0.080 μg m-3). In the Ivory Coast the H2S emissions were estimated between 30 and 300 μg m-2 h-1. The measured concentrations of H2S in the air at ground level ranged from 0.10 to 8.7 μg m-3. The relative importance of the measured emissions for anoxic soils of the humid equatorial forests in the global S cycle is discussed.